


What Really Happened

by wonderstruck4



Category: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - All Media Types
Genre: Backstory, Charluca, Following Your Dreams, Redemption, Sort of fix-it, Standing up for yourself, What Happened After, in defense of the brats
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-17
Updated: 2017-09-17
Packaged: 2018-12-30 16:17:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12112482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wonderstruck4/pseuds/wonderstruck4
Summary: Mostly in defense of the brats. Why they really did what they did, how they used their faults to save themselves from themselves, what happened after. Enjoy!





	What Really Happened

In The Beginning

Augustus Gloop  
He liked to eat. That's it. Seriously. What's so bad about that?

Violet Beauregarde  
As a small child, Violet realized that she was an exceptional singer. Her idol was Whitney Houston, she entered and won talent shows, everyone believed in her...except her peers.   
They tore her down because of their jealousy, resorting to racism and bullying. They only acted nice when they wanted her to give them some gum, so she started carrying it around wherever she went in hopes of gaining favor. Soon, she totally forgot about singing, spent money on gum that she would have used for music books, and loosened her jaw so much she could barley have any diction.   
Her father hated that she did this and blamed it entirely on her, not even asking why or telling her that he knew she could keep singing. He yelled and screamed for her to practice more, which made her want to less and less, as he gave no reason.   
Eventually, he swung to the other side of the pendulum, and even though she had given up completely, he told her that everything she did was perfect. This gave her a "confidence" that was rooted in deep insecurity. She only valued herself for the gum.   
This led to everyone's confusion and annoyance, not knowing that within lay a tortured soul, and even deeper within was a true star.

Veruca Salt  
When she was very young, Veruca was friends with another little girl named Carol. One day, she went to Carol's house for a play date and what she saw surprised her immensely-Carol's parents were abusive. Whenever Carol had her own opinion, they would dismiss it as stupid or wrong. They scheduled every second of her day, lording it over her that she had to be perfect all the time. If she got less than an A plus or forgot a line in a play, she would be beaten and threatened. Carol was still a very nice person, but now Veruca knew why she always seemed so sad. The little ballerina was horrified.   
She talked to her parents about what she saw that night, to which they said, "Some parents think that their children are only there for them to control. Others mean well, but take it out of control. This is wrong, and we hope you know this. We'll always be there for you."   
Veruca thought long and hard about the things she had learned. She decided to even the score. If Carol's parents were super controlling, then she thought that by taking the lead in her own house, she could inspire Carol and others to stand up for themselves. That day, Veruca Salt knew that she would start a rebellion. What she did not know was that, as her parents told her, something well-meaning would spiral very quickly out of control.   
A few years later, eight-year-old Veruca demanded of her father that he take her to the ballet. When she saw her first show, a spark of magic was lit inside of her. Her first words out of the theater? She wanted ballet lessons-and she wanted them NOW. Of course, Mr. Salt complied.   
On her first day, with everyone dancing around her, welcoming her to this world of glory and magic, Veruca Salt turned to her parents to murmur her first and last "thank you".

Mike Teavee  
Once upon a time, a young boy named Michael loved animals. He would play outside with them all day and read about them all night. Then, one day, he was gone.   
Micheal Teavee loved animals so much, he got lost in the woods following a butterfly and was never seen again. A few years later, his parents had another child, whom they gave the same name as his late brother. The Teavees were so paranoid that Mike Number Two would get hurt that they kept him inside all day, proving yet again that something well-meant can turn out for the worse.   
With no outdoors or books to get him curious, he turned to the only other thing he could find-electronics. Mike's parents thought that giving Mike things to spark ideas would get him hurt, so they let him be controlled by others' ideas.   
Mike found the oppression thoroughly annoying, and he found comfort in his Internet friends. Later, his parents realized their mistake, but it was too late-Mike was addicted and everyone was frazzled. Well, at least he had Tumblr.

 

In the Middle

Augustus Gloop  
The Oompas had sent him to the Fudge Room-he had heard them singing. What kind of factory was this? The chocolate liquid pushed him through the pipes, and as the young foodie was propelled to his doom, he had an idea.   
Augustus Gloop decided to do what he did best.  
Augustus Gloop was going to eat.  
He turned his head as much as he could, sucking up as much chocolate as he could swallow. As he had sang earlier, he only stopped to breathe. Eventually, there wasn't as much chocolate as before, and he could wiggle himself safely through the tubes and out of the factory. Luckily, the Oompa Loompas were on their break and didn't notice.  
He found a tube marked "exit", which he found strange, but hey, apparently anything was possible. He followed the light, and before he knew it, was plummeting to the ground where he had stood, waiting for the most exciting tour of his life.  
He bounced. That's right, bounced like a rubber ball. Luckily, his mother was waiting outside (she had seen the labels on the tubes as well), so they went back home to have some sausage.

Violet Beauregarde   
"She exploded!"  
Darn right, she did.   
But not quite how they imagined. You see, Violet's torso was still mostly intact. She could still speak, which meant she could still sing. Why did she remember? Well, when she was legitimately, literally turning into fruit, all that her father had said was "Baby, we are gonna be rich!" That was when she realized the truth-when given the choice, he just didn't care. Frankly, he picked fame and money over a happy, healthy daughter.   
This made it absolutely clear. She knew that if she ever made it out, he'd twist his words and try to make her think it was in her best interest, which she used to fall for every time.  
Used to.  
Not anymore.  
She spit out the deadly gum and took a real breath for the first time in four years. It felt fantastic. She was incredibly grateful that she could at least breathe.  
Violet's thoughts were interrupted when an Oompa came into the Inventing Room to clean everything up. Suddenly, she remembered a throw-your-voice trick she had used for a talent show in third grade. She picked a spot and formulated a plan.  
Violet Beauregarde was back, baby, and ready to take back her life.  
Taking a few moments to breathe, she soon threw to the highest point on the ceiling and called to the Oompa-Loompa.  
"You there!" Her voice was glorious and soulful, as it had been. She sounded like a goddess.  
The Oompa turned, alarmed. "Who is this?"  
Violet came up with something, and fast. "I am the goddess of Cacolauria. Now tell me, small thing, can you reverse time?"  
"Um...yeah...I guess..."  
Violet was ecstatic, but tried not to show it. She couldn't move, or the worker might figure out her plan. "Good!" she boomed. "I had seen a child explode today, and I demand you turn back time so she does not."  
"But...um...Your Goddessness.. it's a very risky thing to try. I'm not sure if I could do it."  
Violet rolled her eyes (which was incredibly painful) and spoke again. "So it was not risky when you let these children die in your factory?"  
The Oompa couldn't argue with that. "Fine, I'll try...um...Your Goddessness."  
"Your had better succeed. If you make things worse, the ghost of the exploded child will follow you forever."  
It gulped. "Um...okay. I'll do my best." It closed its eyes and started to mutter something, and soon there was a rippling boom that exploded out from it.   
Violet was rocketed into the air, and her torso became a magnet. All the rest of her came together, and the rest of the group appeared in the room. It was now one p.m. again. This time, Violet spit out the gum before blueberry pie and dragged her father out of the tour. As far as she knew, everyone else would survive. And as for Augustus? She had met him before-he was actually pretty smart and she knew he would find a way out (or his mother's strong will would find him a way).  
"Uh, Mr. Wonka, thanks so much for the tour and the chocolate, we gotta leave now, bye, come on, Daddy!"  
He tried to pull her back. "Wha-Violet-what are you doing, girl?"  
She kept going, against his wishes for the first time in a while. "Just trust me, Daddy!"  
"Trust you? You gave up everything you were for a stick of gum and forced me to mindlessly support you! You can't let your 'feelings' or rebellious streak stop you from this opportunity to get on camera."  
"First of all, I was ridiculed at school and only gum could get me 'friends'. I tried to tell you, but you just yelled and screamed for me to practice all the time. Then I-"  
"Violet, you're twisting your words! That is not what happened! I won't allow you to manipulate me!"  
"Funny, as I was blowin' up and all you said was that we would be rich, I thought the exact same thing."  
"Blowing up? When did this happen? You have a bad dream?"  
Now out of the factory, they paused to catch their breath. "Oh right, I forgot. It happened, and only an Oompa and I remember."  
"Look, Violet, just tell me the truth. You know the truth, and it's not what you're sayin' right now. You're making up stories that you don't need to tell."  
"I am telling the truth! You just don't know 'cause I used ventriloquy to turn back time!" She stopped to take a breath, knowing he would never understand. These "making up stories" and "you know the truth" acts were nothing more than manipulative tactics. She knew that now.  
"Look, all we need to know is that we need to get out of this factory, I'm taking my life back, and I'm going back to singing." She kept walking towards their bright purple limousine.  
Mr. Beauregarde pulled another classic trick. "Well, if you're so into 'taking your life back', then you can go ahead and walk home!"  
Violet had gotten used to this. She simply pulled her motorbike and purple helmet from the back of the limo. "Fine with me."  
She took off down the lane, singing and laughing triumphantly as her dad gazed openmouthed.

Veruca Salt  
Her last thought:  
For you, Carol.  
I hope you can live your life  
in freedom  
even though I couldn't.  
They tore one last time  
her scream was cut off  
and she was gone.  
They twirled away.  
The group moved on.  
Her father was led away.  
She was left alone.  
Minutes passed  
and when the room was finally  
empty for the night,  
a pulse  
a small light.  
The intention glowed  
The adventure gleamed  
and her strong will  
gave her heart the right to live.  
Pulse  
Glow  
and her heart lit up  
It started to beat.  
It rose up, glowing all the way  
The glow suddenly burst,  
and when the smoke cleared,  
there she stood.  
For when Veruca says  
"Live"  
Intention beat the squirrels.  
She jeted around the room, relishing that she could dance again. After putting everything into one of her favorite routines, she remembered that the killer squirrels could wake up any minute.   
She needed to find her father-she needed to apologize. They were right all those years ago, something well-meant did end up spiraling. Still as if on a stage, she danced around the dark factory, looking for him.  
She stopped in the middle of a tour jete when she saw something unusual-the ceiling was open and the sky was glorious. A glass box carrying Wonka and the smallest boy-Chad? Clark? Charlie?-had risen into the stars. They stood there, and Veruca heard the remnants of a twirling melody on the breeze. The music was perfect to dance to, but first she took a moment. She felt bad for the kid-whatever his name was. His dream was coming true, but he also had to deal with murderous employees all day. She hoped that he would bring kindness and real justice to this factory. With this in mind, she started to dance from the heart.  
Eventually, she was out of the factory. Her father was waiting right outside for her, and they shared a tearful, silent hug before flying back to Russia.   
Still in the Great Glass Elevator, Charlie saw an unmistakable, en pointe human silhouette in the window of a plane. He breathed a sigh of relief and waved. The shadow waved back, and the young inventor could have sworn that he saw her smile.

Mike Teavee  
Stuck in his mother's purse, Mike was enraged. This was all her fault in the first place-maybe if she hadn't kept him inside, he wouldn't have become addicted. He still didn't know the reason why, and now that he had nothing to lose, he decided to ask.  
Ethel Mara Teavee heard a couple more squeals from her bag, and took her son into the palm of her hand. He angrily squealed and shook his fists, throwing a tiny tantrum. She did feel a bit guilty, being grateful for his suffering while her paranoia made them both suffer in the first place. She decided to tell her son the truth.  
"Okay, okay! Stop squirming and I'll tell you the story. I take some blame for this. Who doesn't, honestly? This world really is a slave to technology..." She stopped mid-rant when Mike did a tiny facepalm. "Okay, fine. Here's the real reason."  
Mike stood there in his mother's hand, hearing the story of how his brother's curiosity had eventually led to his downfall, and his own after that. He couldn't believe it. She had given in on purpose, yet she had gone insane when he did the same later.   
She shook her head when she was done. "Well, that's it. That's why I'm constantly frazzled, you're hopelessly addicted, and neither of us can go back. Your brother chased a freakin' butterfly."  
Mike and his mother stared at each other, each thorobughly annoyed at each other and themselves. Eventually, she gave up and stuck him in her purse again. She took a deep breath and let it out.  
Mike found a gargantuan mint which he started to nibble. He hoped it was in there for a while and wouldn't make him grow rabbit ears or blow up or something. Luckily, the mint was his mother's and he was totally fine. He started to think about what he could do with his new form. There were a few limits and drawbacks, but now he began to see the possibilities. A smirk grew on his face as Mike Teavee planned to take back all he had been denied.  
He could do anything.

In the End

Augustus Gloop  
He tied on his trusty apron, heard the announcer's voice, and walked through the door to wave to   
the cheering crowd. After all these years, Augustus was living his dream as a professional chef with his own cooking show, which had the highest viewer rankings in all of Germany. Today was a very special episode-he had invited a personal friend of his on the show as a guest.  
He spoke to the studio audience in German, first doing a segment on how to perfectly season wurst. At the commercial break, all of the fans wondered who the special guest would be.   
Once they went back to the show, the cameras zoomed in on a patch of floor. A purple, gold, and black staff came into frame. As it hit the ground, grass and flowers sprung up. The cane was twirled, once, twice, again, and each time it touched, more came into being. The camera panned up, slowly, until the holder of the cane was revealed.  
With a smile on his face and a smirk of magic in his eye, Charlie Bucket nodded to greet the screaming crowd. As the owner of the most famous candy business in the world, Charlie was a well-known face and household name, but he stayed ever humble and kind. He went to greet his friend, who he hadn't seen in a while. The crowd was going insane.  
Augustus smiled wide as he welcomed his friend to his stage, and the crowd quieted down so they could get on with the show. The two old friends demonstrated the art of lollipop-making. At the end, Charlie made the lollipop turn many different colors at the same time, resulting in thunderous applause. When he left with a smile in a pop of bubblegum smoke, there was an audible gasp and a few "ooooo"s.  
Augustus did a few more tutorials, and then the show was over. He waved to the audience as he left, one man in the third row waving back the most enthusiastically. He smiled at his husband and went out the door. Backstage, he took a breath and thanked the world that he was here.

Violet Beauregarde  
Mermaid style, black with indigo glitter.  
She had designed it herself.  
Her Grammy dress had to be fit for a queen.  
She popped her gum one last time, spit it into her glittery wastebasket, and as the speaker in her dressing room broadcast the cheering crowd, Violet Beauregarde smiled confidently into the mirror.  
This time, it was real.  
Her gold sandals clicked to the wings. After two years of getting back on her feet, the rest of high school, four years of studying music at NYU, and ten years of performing professionally, she still got a thrill every time she stepped onto a stage. Whether it was karaoke night at her hometown froyo shop or humming to herself as she worked her side job, singing would always be Violet's passion.  
Her heartbeat quickened and she couldn't stop smiling when the announcer started speaking. "Ladies and gentlemen, honored guests and those at home, welcome to the eighty-sixth annual Grammy Awards! Now, here is your host for the night. Four-time Grammy winner, social media darling, writer of the hit song 'Clarence', and all-around fantastic human being: VIOLET BEAUREGARDE!"  
There was a swell of music, the thunderous applause rang in her ears, and Violet almost fainted, still barley believing that this really was her life. She glided onto the stage and waved to the audience, a genuine smile gracing her chestnut skin. Her eyes sparkled as she took in the magic. Her parents stood and cheered, loudest of all, and for real this time. Violet took a breath to begin her opening number.  
She was home.

Veruca Salt  
"Mommy?"  
Veruca was jolted awake by her daughter's voice. She took a moment to remember where she was, then looked down and managed to smile. "Yes, Carol?"  
"Are you okay?"  
It was dark, but Veruca knew that her daughter was worried. She reached out to touch her shoulder. "Of course, love. I just had a nightmare."  
"The one with the squirrels again?"  
She took a moment. "Yes, honey. The one with the squirrels again."  
"Why are they always about squirrels, Mama?"  
Carol was only six, and she had a cold, so Veruca had been sleeping on a couch next to her bed. "Well, darling...I have had some rather terrifying experiences with squirrels when I was not much older than you. So scary, in fact, that...sometimes they stick around. But I don't want to scare you tonight, so I'll tell you when you're older, okay? For now...just focus on getting better."  
"Okay, Mommy. You should get some sleep too, remember. You have another class tomorrow."  
"I know." Veruca smiled as she thought of the ballet studio which she founded and taught at. She led many classes per week and couldn't have asked for a better job, teaching all of these wonderful children to express themselves through dance. She was known to be tough and strict, but also well-meaning and kind. She was all business during class, but always there for her students when they needed to talk. She would often have private lessons when the students would vent in between grand plies.   
The children, teens, and even adults that she taught blossomed under her tutelage and respected her with all they were, even though she sometimes got a bit too involved with their lives. However, sometimes that worked out for the better. Veruca was an outspoken activist, and she had a soft spot inside of her for children's rights. She organized rallies, volunteered at benefits, and made posters to raise awareness about issues that affect children all over the world. She hoped that her dance studio would be a haven for all students, a safe place for them to be themselves, to learn...and teach. She still learned new things from her students every day.  
She had always kept her strong will alive, though making sure not to crush anyone else's this time. She still danced as much as possible, and she always put a spot in the year-end recital for her to do a solo dance. Lost in her thoughts, she pulled herself back to the present moment.  
"Of course, love. Now, should we get back to sleep?"  
"I'd love to, Mommy. Sleeping is one of my favorite hobbies."  
Veruca chuckled softly, hugged her daughter, and began to sing a lullaby.

Mike Teavee  
He was battling an ogre.  
This was the  
coolest.  
job.  
ever.  
As someone his size, Mike could do many interesting things. One of his new powers was to jump through electric currents, and he had gotten many jobs that allowed him to use this skill. Currently, he was testing out a video game by actually being player one. This was one of his favorite jobs.  
He also did a lot of research, going into animals' homes and uncharted territory. After the factory, he decided to try exploring on something other than a computer. He knew he had found his second calling.  
He would always be a techie-his official occupation was a video game designer-but he also had a passion for the outdoors, like his brother. Mike Teavee was, in fact, changing up the USA.

 

And as for Charlie himself?

He lived happily with his family in a quaint, pretty house near the factory. He loved his job, inventing thousands of sweets that would serve purposes or just be a good treat. One day, he too had to find a successor. Instead of going the traditional route (you know, murder and terror), he traveled around the world to meet many children individually. On one trip, he went to Russia to visit his friend Veruca and her family. While in the airport, he met a small girl who he knew was perfect for the job. She was full of curious wonder, just like him as a child. The girl had recognized him through his disguise, and walked right up to him to say hi. She also had many good ideas for candy inventions. Her loving parents came after her, and introduced themselves as Carol and Antoine North. The little girl was named Elliana, and Charlie knew that this job was made for her. He always kept in touch with his friends from the factory as they supported each other's journeys to their dreams. Once a year, they all met up at the factory again to perform a few musical numbers from their not-glory days. Later, Carol's daughter Elliana took over the factory, and the circle kept moving forward.

While moving on with their dreams and families, the five children would always remember their friends.


End file.
